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Renewing the Vision- In 1976, the bishops issued their seminal document A Vision of Youth Ministry, combining the best of Catholic traditions with emerging ideas from Church leaders across the nation. Two decades later, confronted by the challenges of an ever-changing world, the bishops enlarged that vision with the publication of Renewing the Vision. This volume provides all who minister to young people with an effective blueprint for building a truly meaningful ministry, centered on three important goals: to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ; to draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Church; and to foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

Please click for summary brochures of The Bishops Document RENEWING THE VISION (English and Spanish) If you would like hard copies of both the brochures and/or the entire document, please contact our office.

Five Tips for Effective Youth Ministry

    Welcome to the wonderful journey that is Catholic Youth Ministry. You have been called by God to this exiting ministry that is crucial to the spiritual development of the young people of this great diocese. The USCCB, in their document Renewing the Vision, has asked us to try and do three things:

    Goal 1: To empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today.

    Goal 2: To draw young people to responsible participation in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community.

    Goal 3: To foster the total personal and spiritual growth of each young person.

    Here are some helpful tips to get you make these goals a viable reality in your parish.

    1. Set Goals.As with any big task, goals are important. Goals give you something to shoot for, a finish line. When you choose what you want to accomplish with your group it will give you a clearer understanding of how you should map out the route your particular ministry will take you. Also, set up a time frame for these goals, and be realistic.

    1. Get a Reliable Support Team.There are people who are always looking to lend a helping hand, whether if its staying up all night with the youth at a lock in, or just picking up sodas and a Frisbee for a day at the park. Let them help and be a part of your ministry. Use the valuable resources you have.

    1. Listen. If you take the time to listen to your kids, they will be more than willing to tell you what they want. Take their suggestions and see if you can work them into your ministry. When you listen, you maybe surprised what you find out.

    1. Be You.You are in this ministry for a reason. God chose you among everyone else in your parish for this job. Be the best you in this position and you will surely succeed.

    1. Balance.In this ministry it is easy to let the social aspect over shine the spiritual. Keep in mind the reason that your youth group exists. The spiritual needs of the youth need to be met.

    Keep an open and prayerful heart, and the Holy Spirit will guide you and your youth ministry program to do great things.

     

National Initiative on Adolescent Catechesis Defined

The Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis began in 2003 from a desire to develop a common vision for adolescent catechesis in order to address serious lapses in the Church’s formation of adolescents. Since its inception, the Partnership has worked to complement the themes and approaches for catechesis with adolescents as presented in the National Directory for Catechesis (2005), the U.S. Church’s guide to religious formation which is shaped by the Vatican’s General Directory for Catechesis (1997).

Concurrent with these developments within the Catholic Church, the National Study of Youth and Religion identified serious challenges regarding the ability of Catholic adolescents to articulate their faith and live as a disciple of Jesus Christ. The CARA Report, digesting the NSYR research, reinforced among Catholic leaders the growing need for parish and school leaders to rethink the Church’s pastoral ministry and educational outreach with young people. Uppermost on the minds of pastoral and educational leaders is the quality and quantity of the resources, including trained personnel, dedicated to responding to the religious and spiritual hungers of our young people. In response to these developments, the Partnership for Adolescent Catechesis has begun the groundbreaking development of a seven-year National Initiative on Adolescent Catechesis.

What is necessary for effective adolescent catechesis in the Catholic Church given the current and emerging environments in the United States?meeting

This was the question that the National Symposium on Adolescent Catechesis (NSAC) addressed in November 2008. The NSAC was an invitation-only gathering of 100 academics, bishops, practitioners, and leaders from various disciplines that have an interest in adolescent catechesis. Together they discussed critical issues facing the formation of teens in the Catholic Church today. The goals of the Symposium were to identify the factors that affect adolescent faith formation and their implications, to develop a common language that will help establish standards for effective adolescent catechesis and its assessment, to establish tools for addressing the creation of comprehensive youth faith formation programs. To read an executive summary and other updatesclick here.

http://www.adolescentcatechesis.org/index.htm